marissa belle ｡･:*˚:✧｡࿐

Happy almost-end of August everyone!

I hope in the midst of the ongoing pandemic, everyone is trying their best to social distance, sanitize their hands and wear a mask wherever possible.

Here are also some important, self-explanatory links for August.

Black Lives Matter (US)

Black Lives Matter (UK, Ireland)

Justice for Elijah McCLain

Justice for Jacob Blake

Recap and Reflection –

I never thought I’d be one to get used to wearing a mask. Because of it being compulsory in Singapore, I have sort of been forced to get used to it, and I’m not finding it that horrible anymore! Never trust anyone who doesn’t have a legit medical problem who says that they ‘can’t breathe’ when they wear a mask. If I, as an asthmatic, unfit person, can wear a mask for over 11 hours a day in 36 degree weather, you can too.

It would be my 2nd full month on accutane and I’m happy to say I am seeing results. My skin is no longer as oily and my active breakouts are, well, not so active anymore! I also went for a blood test to check if my body was reacting well to the medication, and I passed – which is great news for a needlephobe like me.

Additionally, I learned from my dermatologist that I have ‘vasovagal syncope’ which is a condition where “you faint because your body overreacts to certain triggers, such as the sight of blood or extreme emotional distress. It may also be called neurocardiogenic syncope.”

Over the past 10 years and multiple blood tests I’ve taken, I’ve always fainted (even when I don’t see the needle or the blood) and I never knew why but I’m glad I know now!

August Favourites –

My 2013 Kindle

I dug out my old 2013 Kindle Paperwhite because I missed reading properly. I used to be such a massive bookworm at university and I ordered books from Book Depository soooo often, but when I started my current job 2 years ago, my reading habits flew out of the window.

As I don’t have a lot of space in my room, I decided to scavenge for my old 2013 Kindle that I bought in the UK, charged it and started to download book samples. The first book I got was The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and I’m loving it so much so far! I’m glad my Kindle still works, although it is extremely slow. I do think I should upgrade to the newest paperwhite soon but, money, you know. It literally takes about 15 seconds for a page to load which drives me nuts!

Kindle, if you’re reading this, PLEASE SPONSOR ME! (lol)

Neutrogena Rain Bath Shower Gel

Many many people have raved about this particular shower gel and I’ve seen it everywhere – so when I saw it on discount at a beauty store I frequented, I had to give it a try!

And I really do love it! It feels like a high-end luxury shower gel and smells like a spa which I looooove. I usually use this in the day time as I always use a lavender-scented shower gel at night to help me relax. The bottle is HUGE and I’ll definitely be reusing it instead of buying a new bottle as it is made of plastic.

Prickly Heat Powder

If you’re Asian, you know this product all too well!

I personally love the red classic the best.

What this product is is a ‘cooling’ powder’ which is soooo great for hot weather and boy oh boy it has been warm in Singapore the past couple of weeks. One bottle cost me about $1.45 which is SO cheap for the amount that you get and I’ve been using it everyday on my underarms, arms and legs before heading out and it keeps me feeling cool for a good amount of time!

It also smells very menthol-like which I really love as it gives me a sense of freshness. I love anything minty – yes, even mint choc chip ice cream which I know many people hate.

Eleanor Neale Videos

I love true crime videos and one of the my favourite books when I was a young adult was The World’s Greatest Serial Killers by Nigel Cawthorne. Eleanor Neale is a familiar face to many people who watch YouTube regularly and I found myself binge-watching a lot of her content recently.

She covers a lot of cases, new and old, and explains everything in great detail. Her latest video was about Jerry Brudos, who was also mentioned in The World’s Greatest Serial Killers. I would highly recommend her channel! I’m also open to hearing about new crime commentary channels that you enjoy so do leave them in the comments below.

My Flowery Purple Phone Case

It aint’ a new month without a new phone case!

I got this beautiful matte flowery phone case for less than $2 on AliExpress and I love it! I really really like that it covers the camera of my iPhone as it does have a tendency to feel fragile. I am still on the side of preferring silicone cases but this case is really nice as well, although more slippery than I’d like!

You can find loads of cheap and cute cases on AliExpress or Shopee (Asia), which is where I get most of mine!

Did you have a good August? Let us know what you enjoyed in the comments below so we can all discover something new. 

Fingers crossed for an even better month in September!